Web stretching and guiding device.



J. T. BOLTON.

WEB STRETCHING AND GUIDING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 25.1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Patented Apr. 16

J. T. BOLTON.

WEB STRETCHING AND GUIDING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FLLED JULY 25,1917.

LQMJMQD Patented Apr. 16, 1918.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 16, 1918.

Application filed July 25, 1917. Serial No. 182,880.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN T. BOLTON, a

citizen of the United States, and resident of the city of New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Web Stretching and Guiding Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to web stretching and guiding devices for operating upon a web of material such as cloth, paper or the like while being fed to a machine to be subsequently acted upon, such as a tenter, calender, drier, printing machine or the like, and is an improvement on my cO-pending patent application Serial Number 132,354: filed November 20, 1916.

The object of my present invention is to provide a device of this character which is extremely simple and inexpensive in construction and practical in its operation. The device comprises essentially a stretcher roll mounted to operate on each of the opposite edges of the web to spread the same, and is provided with a member set on a slight angle to and rotated by the action of the roll, said member being arranged to move a feeler finger alternately into and out of web-engaging position, to arrest the roll and stop its stretchin action and so permit the web to return to its normal path of travel by sliding over the roll toward its outer end.

A further object of the invention is to provide simple and efi'ective means whereby a fold in the edge of the web,-may be readily straightened out during its travel.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, as will be more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1- is a front view illustrating a traveling web of material having a single stretcher roll mounted to operate on each of its opposite edges to spread the same.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation partly in section illustrating the feeler finger at the end of the roll and in its web-engaging position, and the means by which the feeler finger is operated direct from the roll.

Fig. 3 is a view showing a portion of the roll and the operating mechanism at the end thereof, the feeler finger beingraised and moved back in the. course of its rotation out of the line of travel of the edge of the web. Fig. 4.- is a view of the feeler' finger showing its end turned back .so as to engage and straighten out the fold shown in the edge of the fabric. Fig. 5 is an end view artly in section ShOWlIlg the roll and the eeler-finger carrier, the finger being in raised position.

Fig. 6 is an end view partly in section showing the roll and the feeler finger as engaging theweb when it receives an excessive endwise motion to arrest the roll, stop its stretching action and permit the web to return to its normal path of travel.

Fig. 7 is an end view of the roll showing the oppositely disposed longitudinal rooves therein and the binding bars for securing the ends of the sheet of roughened material.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the feelerfinger carrier.

Fig. 9 is a top view of the roll showing the extension of the binding bar that engages and drives the finger carrier.

- Referring to the drawings, 10 designates the end portions of rails of the frame of a tentering machine to which the Web of material 11 is being fed in the direction of the arrow over the guide bar 12. To each of these rails is connected an upright rod 13, on the upper end of which is a bracket 14: held in position on the rod by means of set screws 15 and on this bracket 14 is pive otally mounted at 16, a bearing member 17 in which is rigidly held the lower arm 18 of the guide rod 19. By this construction, this bearing member 17 may be swung to any desired angle in its bracket bearing and retained in that position bythe set screw 20. On the arm 18 of the guide rod is fixed a bracket member 21 by the screw 22, which member is provided with .a bored boss 23 tion ty e if desired.

On t e outerrend of this shaft. 24 near the bearing 23 is mounted a dog or feeler-- finger carrier 28, the same being rovided with a radially extending arm 29 otted at 30 receive the driving finger 31 which is and parallel with the arm 18 of the guide.

rod. As this carrier rotates about its axis which is set on an angle to that of the roll, it moves its feeler finger 34 out of the line of travel of the edge of the web as illustrated in Fig. 3, so as to clear this edge and -to engage the same only upon returmng, if the web should in the meantlme have moved an excessive distance to one side and into its path of travel.

It is found in practice that sometimes a rapidly running web, when moved very excessively sidewise, will engage the parts of the device and turn or fold over its edge, to correct which fold in the fabric, 1 have turned the end of the feeler finger outward as at 36, see Fig. 4, thereby providing a protuberance or hook portion which will engage this folded-over edge 37 of the fabric 11, to straighten out such a fold, as the fabric is drawn over the smooth portion of the arrested roll.

The guide rod 19 is bent around and extended over the top of the roll to form an upper guide arm 38 which is spaced apart from the operating roll to form, with the lower arm, suitable means for guiding the traveling web over the face 0 a portion of the operating roll.

In order to cause the feeler finger to arrest the rotation of the roll at a predetermined portion of its revolution, 1 have provided a stop rod 39, one end 40 of which is secured in the bracket 21 by set screw 41, and the opposite end extends out and is bent around as at 42 providing a yoke between the arms of which the feeler finger is adapted to pass, but when the edge of the web has been drawn excessively to one side it passes over the arms of this stop yoke, and when the feeler finger is carried around by the rotation of the operating roll, its progress is arrested by bringing up against the fabric which is now passing over the arms of the yoke at which time the smooth side of the roll will be resented to the traveling web and the inclination of the roll causes the fabric to slip toward. its outer end clear of the stop yoke, thus permitting the roll and feeler to continue their rotation.

It is found in practice necessary to roughen' a portion of the surface of the operating roll so that when it engages the surface of the web it will not slip but will naeaveo brass or other thin sheet metal 45, which is provided with protuberances raised thereon preferably b punching holes from the inside outwar ly therethrough, but I do not wish to be restricted to this particular form of roughened surface as sand-paper, small pins or other suitable forms of roughened surfaces on the roll may be provided. In order to perform the desired functions these roughened surfaces must be in one or more longitudinal sections and generally arranged to cover about one-half of the surface of the roll. When this sheet metal 45 is employed I have found it convenient to secure its ends'46 and 47 by bending them into the grooves 43 and 44 and binding them therein by screws through the binding bars 32 and 48, but any other suitable means for securing this material to the roll may be employed.

The device herein shown is particularly simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture and efi'ective in its operation and by its use the web is stretched and the opposite edges guided accurately to the machine to be subsequently operated upon.

The foregoing description is directed solely toward the construction herein illustrated, showing one means for carrying out my invention, but I desire it to be understood that I reserve the privilege of resorting to all the mechanical changes to which the device is susceptible, the invention being defined and limited only by the terms of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A web stretcher of the class described comprising a web-engagin roll, alternate rough and smooth longitu inally-disposed sections on the surface of the roll, a member rotated in time with said roll and on an axis set at an acute angle thereto, and a feeler finger arranged to be carried by said member into and out of web-engaging position at each tudinally-disposed sections on the surface of t? the roll, a roll-shaft having its end set at an acute angle to that portion on which the roll revolves, a member mounted to rotate on said angularly disposed portion, a feelerfinger carried by said member, and means cooperating with said finger for arresting the rotation of the roll to bring a smooth section toward the Web when it has been drawn an excessive distance to one side.

3. A web stretcher of the class described comprising a Web-engaging roll, means for guiding the web around a portion of the surface of the roll, alternate rough and smooth longitudinally-disposed sections on the surface of said roll, a mem'ber rotated by the action of said roll on an axis set at a slight angle to the axis of the roll, a fixed guard member, a feeler finger moved by said member into approximate parallel axial alinement with said roll when in position to engage the web against said guard member and arrest the roll when the web has received an excessive lateral motion, said member being arranged to carry said finger out of parallel alinement and beyond the path of lateral travel of said web during another portion of its revolution.

4. A web stretcher of the class described comprising a web-engaging roll, means for setting the roll at an angle to the travel of the web, alternate rough and smooth longitudinally-disposed sections on the surface of the roll, a member rotated directly by the action of said roll and on an axis at an angle thereto, and a feeler finger carried by said member into and out of web-engaging position at each revolution of said roll to arrest the rotation of the roll and present its smooth surface to the web when the latter has been drawn excessively to one side, and means on said feeler finger for unfolding a folded edge of the web.

5. A web stretcher comprising a web-engaging roll, means for setting the roll at an angle to the travel of the Web, alternate rough and smooth surfaces on the roll, guiding means for directing the running web over the surface of the roll, and means in the roll-controlling mechanism for automatically unfolding a folded edge of the web.

6. A web stretcher comprising a roll to engage each of the opposlte edges of the goods, each roll having a working surface roughened on one side and smooth on another side, a feeler finger, and a feeler-finger carrier mounted at the end of the roll to rotate at an acute angle thereto and move said finger alternately into approximate axial parallel alinement with the roll only when in web-engaging position.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

JOHN THOMAS BOLTON. 

